The acquisition of Digital Equipment Corp by Compaq Computer Corp is all but a done deal now, having received final clearance by the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday night (CI No 3,424). The FTC announced that it had closed the review of the merger and terminated the waiting period under the hart-Scott-Rodino Act. The deal now awaits only approval by DEC’s shareholders, who will vote on the issue at a special meeting on June 11. Holders of two-thirds of the company’s stock must vote in favor of the merger for it to go through, which is not expected to pose any obstacle. Compaq says its expects the deal to close shortly after the meeting. In January, Compaq struck a deal to acquire DEC for $9.6bn in cash and stock (CI No 3,334). The merger creates a company with combined revenues of about $38bn.
